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Dislikes care plan

By Chris Haroldson, Hudson on Nov 6, 2009 at 1:47 a.m.

Dear Editor,

If you are considering the merits of government healthcare reform, consider this. What do you intend to do if you don't like what you get? Regardless of what Congress is saying today about a public option to increase competition, the President and several senior members of Congress have clearly admitted their goal is single-payer health insurance. In a single-payer system the government takes money from us and pays the providers directly - the end of the private health insurance industry (let's hope you don't work for a health insurance company).

Today if you don't like your health insurance coverage you have several options available. You can change your provider by changing doctors or clinics. You can change your insurer to join a different network, either through multiple offerings from your employer, or by changing jobs to a company with better benefits. Finally you could hire a lawyer to pursue legal recourse, go to the media to make your grievance a public embarrassment to the insurer, or appeal to several layers of government to add government pressure or lobby for a change in regulation. The point is, if you don't like your present insurance you have several options available for improvement. You may not like some of your options, but you do have options.

When the President gets what he wants with single-payer health care and we all get universal coverage, what will you do if your coverage is unsatisfactory? Who will you appeal to if you are denied coverage? Are you comfortable that your only option for help will be to appeal to some nameless bureaucrat in Washington? Perhaps your senator will have a link on his webpage where you could submit your complaint for denial of chemotherapy coverage, but hopefully it won't get lost in the requests for help with federal grants, housing resources, tax resources, flag requests or his re-election campaign.

Do not trade your freedom of choice for the promise of free healthcare. The government can't handle this. If you trust them and they fail to deliver, which is their history, your misplaced trust may cost you more than your money. Do not turn your back and allow them to take what we have in exchange for an empty promise of something better. Where is the evidence they can give us something better?